For most drivers of sedans, minivans, coupes, and crossovers, all-season tires are a great all-around solution. All-season tires are designed to deliver long wear with a generous limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty, along with a quiet and comfortable ride, great road manners, handling that’s solid and predictable, and year-round grip. As handy as all-season tires are for their versatility and quality, though, they can’t quite match performance tires when it comes to really pushing your vehicle’s envelope. The thing about ultra-high-performance (UHP) tires, though, is that they use a softer, “stickier” tread compound that delivers great traction and control, but will stiffen up and lose grip on colder days. That’s why tire manufacturers advise against using UHP tires when temperatures are below 40-45 degrees F.

The best of both worlds would be a UHP tire that you can count on for all-season grip as well. That’s what Green Max was shooting for with the Green Max Optimum HP – an all-season tire that can offer a more advanced level of handling, cornering, braking, steering response, and driver feedback. Let’s get in and get a closer look at this Green Max Optimum HP tire review:

Features and Benefits

Here are some of the great design features and innovations that make the Green Max Optimum HP a great performer and a great value:

• Four wide circumferential grooves resist hydroplaning by rerouting water away from the tire’s contact patch
• Redesigned tire footprint is optimized for even wear, improved braking, traction, and control
• Continuous center rib helps to deliver excellent steering response with solid straight-line stability
• Advanced tread compound for great wear properties, wet-weather grip
• Tread pitch is randomized and computer tuned to cancel certain frequencies and overtones, keeping road noise muted
• Covered by 45,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty
• Polyester casing with high tensile steel belt package and nylon cap ply for stability and long wear
• Reinforced shoulder blocks resist tread squirm and deformation for sharp, crisp cornering ability

Pros and Cons

PROS:

• Generous limited manufacturer’s tread life coverage
• All-season grip with good drainage of water from contact patch to resist hydroplaning
• Ride quality is refined and composed

CONS:

• Not good in heavier winter weather
• Not good in off-road conditions
• Can be noisy on some pavement surfaces

SimpleTire’s view on Green Max Optimum HP tires

There are a lot of all-season tires out there on the market; they’re the dominant type of tire that’s available for passenger cars, minivans, and crossovers. Not surprisingly, they’re available at every conceivable price point, from spendy premium tires from premium brands down to affordable budget tires from iffy brands. At the affordable end of the scale, quality and performance are usually tied straight in with the tire’s price. Not so with the Optimum HP from Green Max, a tire that delivers features and performance that far outstrip its price point and exceed expectations.

The all-season tread design of the Green Max Optimum HP does a great job on wet or dry pavement, with confident braking and handling even in heavy rain. No, this tire doesn’t perform well in heavier snow…but that’s not what a tire like this is designed for, so let’s be realistic. The continuous center rib gives the Optimum HP a good solid feel on straight-line drives, but it’s never numb or sluggish and the steering response is quick and light without being too touchy.

On twisty roads, one of the biggest problems with any tire is “tread squirm” – as you go hot into a curve or corner, the vehicle’s weight and momentum try to keep you headed in a straight line and that puts a lot of stress on a tire’s shoulder and sidewall. A more rigid tread and shoulder will resist tread squirm and deformation, and the Optimum HP’s rigidity helps with cornering and handling properties that are crisp and responsive. Ride quality is composed and controlled, without becoming jittery on broken or uneven pavement surfaces. The 45,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty is pretty remarkable for a tire that starts at a low, low $55.99/tire; at one time, that kind of warranty coverage would have only been found on a tire that costs much more

Are you familiar with SimpleScore? SimpleScore is the proprietary ratings system devised by the SimpleTire team to give you a quick at-a-glance idea of a tire’s strengths and weaknesses. We look at the tire’s technical details, manufacturer info, specs, customer reviews, and other data points, then distill that to a 1-10 numerical value for the categories of traction, handling, longevity, and an overall average SimpleScore number. In the case of the Green Max Optimum HP, the SimpleScore numbers break down this way:

Green Max Optimum HP

• Traction: 7.6
• Handling: 8.1
• Longevity: 8.0
• Overall average SimpleScore: 7.8

That’s all pretty remarkable for a budget-priced tire, and it’s our take here at the SimpleTire team that you can’t go wrong with the Green Max Optimum HP, especially for an older vehicle that needs tires, but you don’t want to empty out a checking account to get them.

Vehicles the Green Max Optimum HP is a good replacement tire for

While the Green Max Optimum HP isn’t featured as original equipment on any vehicles, it’d make a great choice for an aftermarket replacement tire for vehicles such as:

• Acura TL
• Audi A6
• BMW 135i
• Buick Regal
• Chevrolet Impala
• Dodge Charger
• Ford Focus
• Honda Civic
• Hyundai Veloster
• Jaguar XKR
• Lexus GS350
• Lincoln LS
• Mazda6
• Toyota CH-R
• Toyota 86
• Toyota RAV4
• Honda Crosstour
• Kia K5
• Mazda Miata MX-5
• Mercedes-Benz E550
• Nissan Maxima
• Pontiac G6
• Scion tC
• Subaru BRZ
• Toyota Camry
• Volkswagen CC Sport
• Ford Mustang